Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you warm up your whole body, especially your wrists, arms, neck and core.

Rae shows you how to transition between two classic acrobatics moves, the crow to headstand.

A crow stand is where you balance with your palms on the floor and your knees on your elbows for balance. A headstand is like a handstand, but you balance on your hands and head for support.

To get into your crow stand, crouch down and place your hands flat on the floor/mat. Place the inside of each knee against the back of each elbow or tricep and push into your knees, keeping your arms strong. As you lean forwards, stick your nose out – like you’re trying to sniff something far away. This will help you balance and you should then be able to lift your toes off the floor. Keep your knees bent to keep that contact with the elbows, and try to keep your back straight and strong.

When you’re balanced, tilt forwards until you can put the top of your head onto the mat. Lift your hips and legs up, balancing on your head and hands on the mat.

To come out of your headstand, bring your legs down in a straddle or star shape and lock your knees back into your elbow/tricep muscle. Work on making your feet heavy – this will tilt you back into your crow position. Lightly touch your feet back onto the mat and come up!

When you’ve got the hang of crow to headstand, you can add some flair. Why not make some shapes with your legs when you’re in your headstand?

You can see all of our acro videos by tagging ‘acro’ in our Youth Circus Home Edition library here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you have plenty of space, especially if your cartwheels aren’t 100% controlled. Always get somebody to help you to prevent injury or accidents!

In Three Move Flow, Rae shows you how to transition between three moves to create a brilliant acro sequence!

Start with a basic cartwheel, but instead of coming to your feet bend a knee so that you can easily lower to a casual sitting position. Sitting on the ground with one knee bent, wrap the other leg around you. This allows you to swivel up to standing without using your hands! Instead, push your feet into the ground firmly and untwist your body.

When you’ve got the hang of this, practice reversing the motion to go back to sitting. When you’re back on the ground, keep the leg that’s bent firmly rooted to the ground with the sole of your foot. Flick the other leg round behind you in a fast movement to allow you to spring up. You’ll turn as you spring to standing, arriving in a dynamic pose!

Join all three movements together to create your final Three Move Flow – cartwheel to sitting, spin up and down again, then twist-leap to standing.

Now, practice performing with acro flair!

You can learn more acro moves to string together by using the ‘Acro’ tag on the Home Edition page here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Adult, always spot your acrobats! Make sure you practice on a soft, carpeted surface or mat and don’t continue if it is hurting your head a lot. Be aware of neck safety in particular.

In Headstands 1, Rachel shows you the basics of how to do a headstand!

Learn how to place your hands and head in a triangle position and gently walk your feet in to a headstand position.

You can use any item with corners and straight lines to help you get your triangle shape. Try a yoga mat, a sofa cushion , or even a triangle made from newspaper.

When you have your hands and head in the right place practice walking your feet in. Then gently lift your feet up into your headstand!

If you keep falling out of your headstand, use a wall to balance you. Or, use the edge of a sofa, armchair or bed. Of course, you can also get a family member to spot you!

When you’ve finished, roll your wrists and neck out gently to warm down.

When you’ve mastered Headstands 1, keep an eye out for Headstands 2 coming next week!

You can see all our activities and videos here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: The moves in Standing in Hands Part 2 are difficult because it features advanced tricks. Make sure you warm up first and use a clear, open space so that you have plenty of room. You should make sure you are practicing with an appropriate partner to avoid injury.

Rowan and Aimee are back with their ‘Standing in Hands Part 2’ acro tutorial. If you haven’t done the first video yet click here because it covers everything you need to know going forward.

Diving straight back in Rowan demonstrates how you can smoothly press your flyer directly into a long arm hold. Make sure you have a spotter with you to make sure you can practice safely.

Starting from elbows down position, the flyer leans back slightly as the base pushes up through their body. This subtle lean gives the base momentum to extend their arms and allows them to push the flyer into the correct position.

Rowan then offers some more conditioning exercises to help you become more comfortable as both a base or flyer. The flyer does squats in the bases hands to practice keeping their legs close together.

Once you’ve got the hang of these exercises you can move on to short arm transfers. This is where the flyer balances all their weight in just one of the bases hands.

Rowan and Aimee will give you several tips and exercises on how to ensure you do this safely and with correct technique.

To finish why not try the half twist step in and out. Starting facing towards your base, flyer steps up into the bases hand, with a twist allowing the base to pivot their elbow and realign the flyer to standing in hands.

You can see all our other tutorials to try here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Before starting this sofa-batics 2make sure you have a clear space to work in and nothing breakable nearby. To make sure your sofa doesn’t tip over you can push it against a wall. Also check with a grown up that your sofa is suitable to use.

It is important that you have thoroughly warmed up before doing acrobatics. This is part 2 of a 2 part video. In sofa-batics 1 Rachel leads you in a warm up to begin with. To remind yourself of what to do check out her video here.

Once you are ready to dive back in Rachel welcomes you back to sofa-batics with some balances. To begin you are shown how to do a few popular aerial balances; the Front Balance and the Back Balance. You can practice both moves using the arm of your sofa. These are similar shapes to the conditioning exercises ‘dish’ and ‘arch’.

Next Rachel suggests several other balances that you can try including; a bum balance and a knee balance. Both of these can be replicated on other equipment like trapezes or even tight wire.

If you are looking for something more flexible to try then why not have a go at the Y-Stand, Scorpion, and Arabesque. Rachel demonstrates these using the top of her sofa. This also then provides a wall for her to spot herself against.

Alice just did a great tutorial on how correctly do your Y-Stand and Scorpion which you can use to practice.

Once you have mastered the balances you can move on to something more dynamic. Rachel shows you several ways that you can cartwheel across your sofa. You can use the seat cushions, or the arms, or as Rachel demonstrates, you can even cartwheel off the sofa from sitting.

Rachel finishes all this off with an example of what a sofa-batics routine could look like.

To see all our other tutorials click here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure that you are properly warmed up before attempting the Flag. Do something to get your heart rate up like jogging on the spot. Then make sure you’ve had a good stretch through your body.

Alice takes you through a new acrobalance position called the flag. This is a partner acrobatics position and Alice shows you two versions, one easy, and one harder.

Flag easy version: The base (demonstrated by Alice) kneels down on the floor, while the flyer (demonstrated by brother Jake) steps up onto Alice’s thighs with one foot turned across both legs. You will then hold a ‘monkey grip’ which is wrist to wrist.

Jake then lifts up one leg to place it behind Alices’ neck . He flexes his foot, and Alice can lean her weight into it to create a point of contact. The base holds on to the flyers leg to add support to the structure. Finally you can let go of your hands and show off your new flag.

Flag harder version: In this version the base is also standing. However all the mechanics stay the same. You just need cooperative counter balance. We strongly advice having a third person available to spot.

Alice shows you how to stand as the base – knees together and slightly crouched. Jake then steps straight up onto Alices’ legs. If you are the flyer you should not try to lean backwards just yet as this will unbalance your base.

Once your flyer is standing, place your foot behind your bases neck. The base then leans back to counter balance themselves against the weight of the flyer.

If you are both comfortable, the flyer can twist their hips to be squared up and hands can be released to present your impressive new trick ‘the Flag’.

Don’t forget to practice being both the base and the flyer for the flag. This trick does not require the biggest and strongest person to base it. Although Alice is one of our strongest tutors, she is shorter and lighter than Jake. Instead the flag relies on counterbalance, so even the tallest of acrobats can be flyers, though we recommend every pairing start with the easier version first to check they are comfortable with their role.

If you enjoyed this trick and you’re looking for some more partner acrobatic moves why not take a look at Rachels’ video on pyramids? They may be a simpler trick but are perfect to incorporate into a routine if you are looking to string tricks together.

You can check out all our acrobatic and other discipline tutorials here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: The standing in hands trick is difficult – Do a thorough warm up. Use a clear, open space, and make sure you are practicing with an appropriate partner. You should always using a spotter.

Rowan and Aimee teach you how to safely base and fly the acrobalance position ‘standing in hands’.

First Rowan walks you through the correct technique for holding your partners foot. The ball of the flyers foot should be sitting in the ball of the bases hand. With two fingers supporting the heel of the foot, the flyer should aim to point their foot slightly.

Rowan then demonstrates how the base uses his legs to help support the flyer through stepping up. First one leg and then the second, just like climbing steps.

If you are basing standing in hands you should squeeze your elbows into your side, and have you arms pointing directly upwards from your elbow.

The flyer needs to stay as tight as possible and allow your base to balance you, rather than trying to balance your self.

After this initial guide to learning standing in hands, Rowan demonstrates a few variations such as;

• Stepping up with one leg assistance
• Stepping up with no leg assistance
• No grip standing in hands

Once you have mastered this first position you can try going to straight arm standing in hands. Rowan and Aimee demonstrate how to safely prepare for the trick.

It is strongly advised to use a spotter when working at this height.

To finish with Rowan and Aimee demonstrate a good conditioning exercise that will help you build up your strength, core, and stability.

If you enjoyed this partner acrobatic exercise you might enjoy Rowan and Aimees’ other tutorial on acrobalance.

And you can check out all our other videos here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Clear a space so you have room to move without knowing anything over. Push your sofa against a wall if you can and remove anything breakable nearby.

In Sofa-batics part 1 Rachel shows you some simple, solo acrobatic tricks that you can try using nothing but your body and your sofa. These fun exercises are ideal for households where indoor space is limited.

Follow Rachel as she leads you in a quick warm up and stretch. Start with some jogging either on spot or around the room to get your heart rate up.

Next you can do some star jumps to get your arms and legs moving and ready to work. Finish off your warm up with some arm circles, and hip circles to loosen up your whole body.

After the warm up Rachel shows you a series of different rolls you can do off, on, over, and across your sofa. Each one of these uses techniques we use in all our fundamental acro and tumbling training such as log rolls, forward and backward rolls, and table top position.

Finally Rachel demonstrates different inverts you can try. There are headstands, shoulder stands, and even a variation assisted handstand. Each one of these inverts will then allow you to style and present your legs in different positions, but remember to point your toes.

Keep an out for the next instalment of sofa-batics part 2. Where Rachel will show how to practice different forms of balancing, and cartwheeling using your sofa.

Once you’ve watched Sofa-batics, why not go and see what sofa acro you can try with two people as demonstrated by Tilly and Will in their Couch Acro video.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you’ve properly warmed up your whole body first. Do something active to get your heart rate up and your muscles warm.

Alice shows us how to do two different acro moves: the Y Stand & Scorpion.

First, Alice shows us how to do the Y Stand or Y Balance. For this, it’s really important to warm up your inner thighs and shoulders first.

Use your hand to bring the same foot up the side of your body, and straighten out with your leg in a Y shape. If you’re not flexible enough to reach your foot straight away, try using a belt or piece of fabric to get your foot up. You can then pull it in gradually to increase your flexibility.

Next, Alice shows us how to do the Scorpion. For this one, make sure you do some side stretches and back stretches to warm up – Alice suggests some moves to try.

When you’re warmed up, lift up one foot behind you and bring it up behind your head, holding on with both hands reaching over the top of your head.

To build up to a full scorpion, you can use a belt or piece of fabric. This allows you to gradually work on getting your foot closer to your head.

Try your Y Stand & Scorpion moves on a regular basis to increase your flexibility. Don’t forget to practice on both sides!

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: Make sure you warm up properly first, getting your heart rate up and your muscles warm. Try Maddie’s mobility video to get prepared!

Lewis shows us how to work towards a handstand press with some conditioning drills.

You can download an exercise sheet to help you here.

First, Lewis shows us how to safely warm up our wrists. Then, he gets to work on active flexibility – this is the key to getting your handstand press.

The first exercise Lewis shows us is a Straddle, using a shoe to push our straddle as much as possible.

Next, use a wall to practice your Pike, walking your hands in towards your feet as far as possible.

Finally, work your Handstand Negative as slowly as possible – this will build up your strength. Really focus on holding the hardest part, at the bottom, as much as you can!

The more you practice these moves, the better your handstands will get. Get a spotter to help you if you need to, and remember that the warmer you are, the easier you will find the stretching.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you warm up before trying these moves. Work at your own pace, and always use a spotter if you need one.

Rowan teaches us some solo balances to add to your acrobalance toolkit!

Don’t forget to warm up your wrists, neck, and back, and get your heart rate up before you begin. A great warm up video is Maddie’s mobility workout.

First, Rowan shows us how to do a Headstand, using your arms and head to balance.

Next, he shows us a variation on getting into a headstand – Crow to Headstand. You can also use this to get out of your headstand!

You can practice Headstand Exercises to improve your balance and core strength, going from tuck, pike or straddle into your headstand.

Another variation on headstand is the Yoga Headstand. If you get this one, you can try a Forearm Stand where your head isn’t taking any of the weight!

Rowan also shows us how to go from a normal Headstand to a Handstand. This one is a bit trickier, and we recommend having a spotter.

Rowan’s acro partner Aimee – one of our current third year degree students – then shows us a Croc Balance, using your hands and elbows to balance on a raised surface.

There’s loads of solo balances to try on your own in this video, and you’ll find the moves easier the more you try them!

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: Couch Acro 3 is a bit trickier than our previous couch videos, so only try this trick if you’re ready. However, practicing on a sofa makes it a bit safer – you still need to make sure the area around you is clear though.

Tilly is back with Couch Acro 3, another video of tricks to try on your own sofa! These tricks are great if you don’t have a lot of space to do acro at home. Don’t forget to check out Couch Acro 1 and Couch Acro 2 as well!

Practising a handstand on a sitting base’s knees is a difficult trick. It’s great for drilling your handstands though, and particularly helps with opening out your shoulders. It also lets you practice handstands on an elevated surface!

Tilly shows us how the base should sit, with their legs firmly locked and sitting up nice and straight. The base can help the flyer up by spotting their hips. Or, they can spot their shoulders and really help the flyer open out their shoulders by locking their shoulder joints with their hands.

Listen carefully to Tilly and Will’s tips on how to avoid wobbling or falling. They also demonstrate how to safely (but not gracefully!) fall onto the sofa if you aren’t secure!

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Warm up thoroughly before you start – this mobility video from Maddie is ideal. Clear your working space to ensure you don’t hit anything. Work gradually and build up to a full walkover. Use a spotter when you need to.

Rachel K shows you some drills for working towards forwards or backwards walkovers.

First, practice kicking up to a handstand on a wall. Then, go into a bridge stretch to practice pushing your shoulders up and out.

When you have practiced your bridge and handstand kicks, you can use tick tocks to practice kicking over. Use a soft elevated surface, such as a sofa, and gradually progress to a lower surface.

When you have mastered your tick tocks you can practice your bridge stand ups, lowering yourself into a bridge and standing up again. Again, use an elevated surface and get progressively lower until you are touching the floor.

When you are confident with all of these drills, try a spotted walkover. Read our tips below on how to spot walkovers.

Spotting a walkover:

• The spotter should kneel on the ground just past where the flyer’s hands will touch down.
• As the flyer places their hands to kick up in to the handstand, the spotter should place thier closest hand on the centre of the flyer’s back, in between the shoulder blades.
• As the flyer’s hips arrive over their shoulders, the spotter then places their other hand on the flyer’s lower back.
• The spotter is then well positioned to slow the flyer’s legs lowering to the ground and to assist the flyer in standing up.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Use a third person to spot you if needed. Clear away anything nearby if possible to avoid catching your feet when you go up and down. Most importantly, always ask permission before getting between a family member and the TV!

Tilly and Will are back with Couch Acro 2! In this couch acro video, Tilly shows us how to do a couch acro shoulder stand. The flyer can go upside down on the base’s knees, which makes it a nice secure move for both the flyer and the base. And, if you do teeter too far, you have a nice soft couch to gently fall back on!

Once you’ve watched Couch Acro 2, why not go back and watch Couch Acro 1?

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Safety Warning: Make sure you warm up first, particularly your wrists and shoulders. Work in pairs so that one person can spot the other. Spotters, make sure you are keeping

In this special 2-parter, Alan and Brenna show you all the handstand basics from partner drills to pike ups!

Handstand Basics Part 1 – Easy

In Handstand Basics Part 1, Alan explains how to warm up your arms, wrists and shoulders properly before you start. Then, he shows you a set of partner handstand drills – holding a 45, 30 and 15 second handstand with your partner holding your legs. As you get confident, the spotter can hold on a bit less so that you start to gain your balance!

If you’re just starting out, try these over a few days first as you’ll find it hard work! If you’re a bit more experienced, you can now move on to the second video!

Handstands Basics Part 2 – Medium

In Handstand Basics Part 2, you’ll learn some solo handstand drills. First, Alan shows you two drills against the wall – with your back to the wall and with your stomach to the wall. You can vary how close you are to the wall, and some will feel scarier than others. Go at your own pace and build up to the scarier ones.

Then, Brenna will show you some alternatives to kicking into a handstand. You’ll learn a straddle up, a tuck up and a pike up. For each one Brenna will talk you through correct alignment, and you’ll try each one five times.

Take a break if you need to! If you’re worried about tipping over you can either get somebody to spot you or slightly underreach, so that you don’t reach your tipping point.

Finally, Brenna shows you some great stretching out exercises for opening up your shoulders and combating some of the tension from your drills.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Adults, spot your acrobats! If possible, clear anything hard or breakable out of the immediate vicinity to avoid injury or breakage. These tricks are designed for a small space but do be aware of your immediate surroundings.

Tilly and Will show you some couch acro! Not everyone has lots of space at home, so Tilly shows you a move that is perfect to do in your living room with minimal space.

This move is a sort of partner handstand, using a base (the person supporting) who sits on the sofa and supports the flyer’s legs on their shoulders. Couch acro may look easy, but it’s important to make sure you’re aligned just right. You can also practice going into the move and out of the move in a controlled way!

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: These moves are difficult – make sure you warm up first. Use a clear, open space, and make sure you are practicing with an appropriate partner. Always get a third person to spot you if you’re not confident, and skip out any moves you don’t feel comfortable with.

Rowan takes you through some partner acrobalance moves, with help from his acro partner Aimee!

For each partner acrobalance move, Rowan will talk you through the correct technique for the base and the flyer. Make sure you pay close attention, to avoid injury and keep you both safe.

First, he shows you a Calf Stand, and if you are comfortable, shows you how to walk in this hold. Next, Rowan demonstrates a Split Lever – make sure your flyer is comfortable with their splits for this one! If you’re comfortable with this, try the Advanced Split Lever – but be aware this is an advanced move.

The next one is Figurehead – think Titanic! Then, Rowan shows you a variation called Stand Up to Figurehead.

Finally, you’ll learn a Planche Counter-Balance. This one is a good core strengh workout for both of you, but is hard – so don’t worry if it takes a few tries.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Make sure a grown-up or older sibling is helping with spotting, and follow Rachel’s instructions to keep your backs safe.

In Pyramids 1, Rachel shows you how to create basic pyramids with the other people in your household! You don’t need many people to create these great acrobalance shapes.

This video is perfect for all ages, and siblings and parents can have fun trying these pyramids together!

Rachel demonstrates the perfect tabletop shape, and then shows you how to do a tabletop on tabletop pyramid and a tabletop on two tabletops pyramid. She even shows you a standing tabletop pyramid! Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll learn a single and double sumo squat pyramid.

You can see all our Youth Circus Home Edition videos here.

Difficulty: Hard

Safety Warning: You need plenty of space for this one. Remember, you might not be quite as controlled as Rae when you start out! If possible practice in a garden or big empty space and check your surroundings first. Make sure you ask a grown-up to spot you if you need help.

Rae shows you some advanced cartwheels to build on your basic cartwheel. This video is for students who have already mastered the basics. If you’re not quite there, go back and look at Rae’s video on basic cartwheels first.

You’ll learn a one arm cartwheel, second arm cartwheel, triple hand – or 1,2,3 – cartwheel, a switch leg cartwheel and a stepover cartwheel. And if you’re not totally exhausted after all that, well done!

You can see all our Youth Circus Home Edition videos here.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you have lots of space, and ask an adult to spot your moves as shown in the video.

Tilly teaches you a front balance and back balance in this Acrobalance 2 tutorial with help from her acro partner Will. You’ll need a partner and a third person to spot, and a fair bit of space – if you have a garden, try it outside.

Acrobalance 2 is perfect for students aged approx. 8+, although younger viewers can work on it with a bit more help. It will help with balance, core strength and flexibility. You can try different variations as you get more confident! If you’re really comfortable, work on perfecting your technique like Tilly in the video.

You can see all our Youth Circus Home Edition videos here.

Difficulty Level: Hard

Safety Warning: Use a solid surface for your handstand drills – avoid doors, or just behind doors where somebody could knock you over. Clear a space for coming up and down and be wary of kicking anything!

Handstands don’t take much space, and you’ve got ages to perfect them. Get started with Lewis! Acrobatics: Handstands 1 is perfect for our students who’ve got some acrobatics and balancing experience, or who want to work a bit harder and do some handstand drills to perfect their technique.

Even though you don’t need lots of space make sure you’re safe and working with an adult if you need to.

Lewis shows you how to warm your wrists up safely. He then demonstrates handstand drills against a wall to help you open out your shoulders and perfect your line. He’s also got some helpful exercises on the floor to help with this using anything around your home. You can try these daily to make big improvements in your handstand technique!

You can see all our Youth Circus Home Edition videos here.